Of course, one thing you’ll see a lot of at the grocery
store and farmer’s markets at this time of year are various types of squash.
Personally I love squash of any kind (if you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m
not very picky when it comes to food), however my husband had to eat it daily
when he was a kid and his mom grew it by the truckload in their garden so he
doesn’t get quite as excited as I do about the colors and shapes and textures
of squashes.
I have a good friend at the grocery store, Brian, who
manages the produce department. He let me know of some amazing, beautiful
squashes that were available and I couldn’t resist buying some! So far, I’ve just used them
as decorations on my fall table, as you can see here - but they should last for months so I consider it a very frugal way to decorate for autumn.
Brian recommends that when making squash, you use really
good quality ingredients. His simple recipe:
Baked Squash
1 squash, your choice of variety such as acorn, spaghetti, butternut
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt (according to Brian, sea salt really brings out the
sweetness of the squash)
Freshly ground black pepper
Basically, you just wash the squash and cut it in half.
Scoop out the seeds and strings. Place the halves cut side down on a rimmed
baking sheet greased with olive oil. Bake for 45 – 60 minutes, until soft.
Scoop out the cooked flesh and add olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.
If you want a bit of variety you can add a tablespoon of
maple syrup or substitute butter for the olive oil. A firm, tangy cheese like shaved
Parmesan or a handful of toasted pecans or walnuts are also great complements
to the slightly sweet flavor of squash.
We normally buy one of every kind of squash every single year! You can also take the squash, cut it in half and then put them on a plate open side down - cover with plastic wrap and put it in the microwave for 10 minutes. Season when it comes out as you wish!
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